A Local’s Guide to the Best Pizza in Charlotte NC

I’m on an ongoing quest to find the best pizza in Charlotte, so in honor of my continuous journey, I’ve rounded up my favorite spots to grab a slice.

If you’re a pizza lover living in the Queen City, have you found the best pizza in Charlotte, NC? What’s your favorite Charlotte pizza place?

Pizza is forever one of my favorite foods, which means I’ve spent the last thirteen years in the Queen City on what can only be described as a very delicious, very serious, never-ending research project.

So after all those years of “research,” it seemed like a good time to put it all to use in this post. After all, Charlotte’s got a lot, of pizza!

So it felt overdue to dedicate an entire post to the best pizza Charlotte has to offer. This list spans the full spectrum: delivery classics, counter-service neighborhood spots, foldable New York–style slices, and wood-fired Neapolitan pies. Although I have yet to find Chicago style deep dish in the Charlotte area…any leads?

Also is your favorite spot missing from the list? Consider this your official invitation to argue with me in the comments — respectfully, of course, and ideally with topping recommendations. I’m always adding to my pizza bucket list!

Note: This list is in alphabetical order. We recommend every single one of these local restaurants, however, restaurants with a **Chrissie’s Pick** are my favorites on this list.

BIRD PIZZERIA

**Chrissie’s pick

Location: 510 E. 15th Street, Charlotte, NC 28206

Hours:
Window: Wednesday through Sunday 4 to 8 PM (Sundays 1 to 8 PM)
Dining Room: Wednesday through Saturday 5:30 to 9 PM

Type of pizza: East Coast style

Must-orders: Kale Caesar Salad (while simple, just kale, parmesan and dressing, it’s simplicity at it’s finest!), White Pizza with fresh mozzarella, ricotta, arugala, butter garlic and olive oil

One of Charlotte’s buzziest (Buzz City pun intended) pizza restaurants is Bird.  Bird initially started as a pop up. and then opened their brick and mortar just as a take-out window; they finally expanded to a cozy neighborhood pizzeria with a few select tables for indoor dining. After receiving accolades as one of the best pizza places in the United States from the New York Times, it has been nearly impossible to get a reservation at this hot spot in Optimist Hall (reservations can be booked up to 60 days in advance and they do reserve a small amount of tables for walk ins).

If you aren’t able to get a reservation, you can still order take-out at their window, but pre-orders are recommended because they are so popular!

BISONTE

Location:
Uptown 710 West Trade Street
Ballantyne: 8133 Ardrey Kell Road
Matthews: 1381 Chestnut Lane

Hours:
Uptown Sunday through Thursday 11 AM to 9 PM, Friday & Saturday 11 AM to 10 PM
Ballantyne: Monday through Sunday 11 AM to 8 PM
Matthews: Sunday through Thursday 11 AM to 8 PM, Friday & Saturday 11am to 9pm

Type of pizza: Buffalo style

Must-orders: A classic pepperoni Buffalo style pizza an order of Buffalo wings, extra napkins encouraged.

Bisonte (pronounced bis-on-tay) means “buffalo” in Italian, and while a coincidence, it feels exactly right for an Italian spot owned by brothers Jim and Steve DaPolito, who grew up in Buffalo, NY and brought their best family recipes south with them.

Their red sauce is based on the recipe their father used to make, and their dough has been perfected over years and years of tinkering. Between the two brothers, there’s over 40 years of pizza-making experience behind every pie. Add in their Buffalo roots and you’ve got one more thing they take very seriously: wings. They were voted Charlotte’s Best Wings three years in a row and have earned a spot on Off the Eaten Path’s best wings in Charlotte list.

BENNY PENNELLO’S

**Chrissie’s Pick

Location: 2909 N Davidson St STE 100, Charlotte, NC 28205

Hours: Sunday through Thursday 11 AM to 12 AM, Friday & Saturday 11AM to 3AM

Type of Pizza: Pizza by the slice

Must-orders: Any rotating specialty slice that catches your eye

I am pro pizza by the slice; I’m actually a little hungry right now and my stomach is rumbling just thinking of the excitement/anticipation of waiting for your slice to come fresh out of the oven piping hot.

In college and law school, grabbing a late night slice on my way home at bar close was a weekly habit, and my 25 year old self was disappointed with Charlotte’s late night pizza options when I moved here after graduation.

So while my almost forty year old self as never been to Benny Pennello’s after bar close (it’s way past my bed time now!) I do like that we have a delicious late night Charlotte pizza option, and will happily eat their giant slices in the light of day. In fact, two of our best friends gave us a Benny’s delivery straight to Presbyterian Hospital when our daughter Joey was born!

The menu sticks to the classics — no fuss, no frills — but when the basics are done this well, you don’t need much else. Crisp crust, balanced sauce, generous cheese, and a rotating lineup of specialty slices mean there’s always something calling your name behind the glass.

PS: Benny’s slices are so big it’s a two plate situation.

GENO D’S PIZZA

Location: 224 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Hours: Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM, Tuesday & Wednesday, 11 AM to 7 PM, Thursday through Saturday 11 AM to 8 PM, Closed Mondays

Type of Pizza: New Jersey Style

Must Orders: Grandma style pie

Geno D’s pizza showcases classic flavors with high-quality ingredients in the heart of Uptown at 7th Street Market.

The vibe is casual and counter-service, making it an easy stop for lunch, a quick dinner, or grabbing a pie before a game or event Uptown. Every time we stop into 7th Street Market, there is always a line!

Beyond pizza, Geno D’s also shines with grandma-style pies, focaccia sandwiches, and a rotating lineup of creative special.

INIZIO PIZZA

**Chrissie’s pick

Location:
Dilworth 2230 Park Rd #101, Charlotte, NC 28203
Ballantyne 10620 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
Fort Mill 816 Brayden Pkwy, Fort Mill, SC 29708
Huntersville 16627 Birkdale Commons Pkwy, Huntersville, NC 28078

Hours: Sunday through Thursday 11 AM – 9:30 PM, Friday & Saturday 11 AM – 10 PMor until the dough runs out

Type of Pizza: Neapolitan

Must orders: Pistachio pesto, seasonal pumpkin pizza in the fall, and lemon and fig in the summer

Inizio is serving some the best pizza in Charlotte, NC in my opinion. It’s one of my favorites for their creative flavor options (the pistachio pesto is the absolute best).

Inizio is a go-to for people looking for authentic, Neopolitan wood-fired pizza in Charlotte. Pizzas are made with Italian ingredients and cooked for 90 seconds in a wood fired brick oven from Italy, giving you as close to an authentic Naples pizza experience that you can get in Charlotte, North Carolina.

INTERMEZZO

Location: 1427 East 10th Street, Charlotte, NC 28204

Hours: Monday through Thursday 4 PM to 10 PM, Friday 4 PM to 11 PM, Saturday 12 PM to 11PM, Sunday 12 PM to 10 PM

Type of Pizza: European Style

Must orders: Intermezzo supreme, Serbian dishes, specialty martinis

Intermezzo is one of my favorite restaurants in Charlotte, in fact, it was the first restaurant I ever wrote about on this blog (forgive me for my terrible photos).

Intermezzo has been a stalwart of the Plaza Midwood food scene since 2007 and is often overlooked for other choices that are shinier and new. But don’t sleep on Intermezzo, the people are nice, the space is cozy and the food is really, really good.

While Brothers Branko and Djordje Avramovic opened Intermezzo to bring their grandmother’s Serbian family recipes to Charlotte (and you should definitely order off the Serbian menu), Intermezzo’s pizzas are also worth ordering; you can taste the love and passion in every bite of homemade dough.

While Intermezzo was a takeout go-to for me when I lived down the street, I recommend enjoying your pizza along with a glass of wine or a cocktail in Intermezzo’s warm, welcoming dining room.

LUISA’S BRICK OVEN PIZZERIA

**Chrissie’s pick

Location: 1730 Abbey Pl, Charlotte, NC 28209

Hours: Monday 5 PM to 9 PM, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 11 AM to 2 PM & 5 PM to 9 PM, Friday 11 AM to 2 PM & 5 PM to 10 PM, Saturday 5 PM to 10 PM, Sunday 5 PM to 8:30 PM

Type of Pizza: Brick oven

Must-orders: Luisa Pizza, Chicken Parmesan, and a side of ranch (their ranch has a cult following)

Luisa’s is one of those neighborhood pizza spots that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel and that’s exactly why people love it. This is brick-oven pizza done right, with a lightly charred crust and well-balanced sauce. It’s the kind of place you return to again and again because it’s consistently good and reliably hits the spot. In fact, it’s pretty close to our kids’ school so we find ourselves grabbing Luisa’s for takeout a lot!

The menu covers all the classics, from traditional cheese and pepperoni to specialty pies, plus calzones, salads, and a few Italian comfort-food extras.

MAMA RICOTTA’S

Location: 601 S Kings Dr AA, Charlotte, NC 28204

Hours: Daily 11 am to 9 pm

Type of pizza: Homestyle Italian

Must-orders: Joe’s Favorite, Chicken Oreganata Pizza, and if you’re not in a pizza mood, penne alla vodka

Mama Ricotta’s has been a Charlotte institution since 1992. Known primarily for its comforting, red-sauce Italian classics, Mama Ricotta’s also quietly turns out consistent, crowd-pleasing pizza that fits right into its warm, welcoming vibe. This is not trendy pizza or experimental pizza, it’s the kind of pizza that pairs perfectly with a glass of wine and a basket of bread

The pizzas here lean traditional, with well-balanced sauce, gooey cheese, and familiar toppings. Everything feels generous, comforting, and designed for sharing — very much in line with Mama Ricotta’s overall approach to Italian food.

PIZZA BABY

Location:
East: 601 Elizabeth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204
West: 2135 Thrift Rd Ste. 101, Charlotte, NC 28208

Hours:
East: Sunday through Thursday 10 AM to 9 PM, Friday & Saturday 10 AM to 10 PM
West: Monday & Tuesday, Closed, Wednesday and Thursday 5 to 9 PM Friday 4 to 10 PM Saturday 2 to 10 PM Sunday 12 PM to 9 PM

Type of pizza: Americana style

Must-orders: Rosemary, Starsky, Burrata and Bacon wrapped dates

Pizza Baby is a restaurant and bakery that brings a thoughtful, chef-driven approach to pizza on both sides of Charlotte. Locally owned and operated by Chef Trey Wilson and Steven De Falco, Pizza Baby is built around the idea that food should be more than just a meal.

All of Pizza Baby’s bread and dough are scratch mixed, shaped by hand, and hearth baked, using traditional techniques and ingredients sourced from local farmers and purveyors whenever possible. The result is big, shareable pies with a crust that’s crisp on the outside, chewy in the center, and full of flavor thanks to careful fermentation.

PIZZERIA OMAGGIO

Location: 1055 Metropolitan Ave., Suite 130, Charlotte, NC 28204

Hours: Monday through Thursday 10:30 AM to 9:30 PM, Friday 10:30 AM to 10 PM, Saturday 11 AM to 10 PM, Sunday 12 pm to 9:30 PM

Type of pizza: Roman style

Must-orders: seasonal specialty pie, especially with squash blossoms

First thing first, not all Italian pizza is created equal. What is the difference between Neapolitan and Roman style?

The main distinction is in the crust ingredients; Roman style pizza adds oil to the flour, water, yeast and salt found in the dough, giving the crust more weight and flavor and resulting in a crispier crunch.

In Italian, Omaggio means homage, or to pay tribute, and Pizzeria Omaggio is definitely paying tribute not only to the craft of pizza making but to their fresh, seasonal ingredients with their pies.

While you’ll find a lot of high quality, traditional pizzas at Pizzeria Omaggio, one of my favorite pizzas on their menu is their rotating seasonal selection, made with fresh ingredients that vary season to season, like butternut squash with sausage and fig preserve with sliced pancetta in the fall, or fresh zucchini with squash blossoms and poached lemons with smoked ham in the spring

PIZZERIA SAPIENZA

Location: 620 N Church St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Hours: Monday through Thurday 11 AM to 10 PM, Friday 11 AM to 12 AM, Saturday 12 PM to 12 AM, Sunday 12 PM to 10 PM

Type of pizza: New York style

Must-orders: Meal deal, garlic knots, classic cheese or pepperoni

Pizzeria Sapienza is a family-run Charlotte gem rooted in true New York pizza tradition. In 2018, Sal Sapienza brought his father’s 30-year-old recipes from New York to the Queen City, sharing the flavors he grew up with and continuing a legacy that began in 1990, when his father Nino opened the original location in New York.

Sal followed directly in his father’s footsteps, bringing more than three decades of family pizza and pasta recipes with him to Charlotte. There’s nothing trendy or overcomplicated here, just thoughtful execution and consistency built on years of experience.

SAL’S PIZZA FACTORY

Location: 3723 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28205

Hours: Monday 10 AM to 9 PM, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10 AM to 10 PM, Friday and Saturday 10 AM to 11 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 10 PM

Type of pizza: New Jersey style

Must-orders: Grandma Pizza (thin Sicilian), Grandma Vodka Sauce, and specialty hybrids like Cheesesteak and Chicken Bacon Ranch or other signatures by the slice

From the outside, Sal’s looks like nothing much.

Just an unremarkable, sort of short and stout concrete building on Monroe Road. You’d probably drive right past it, if you weren’t on the lookout for some damn good pizza by the slice and were intentionally keeping your eyes peeled for their sign.

Sal’s has an extensive, New York/New Jersey infused, Italian inspired menu (and the zucchini sticks are crispy and addictive) but skip the full pizza order in my opinion, and beeline straight for the counter were the daily by the slice options are peering back at you through the glass.

Depending on the day, Sal’s has a variety of different slice options, from traditional pies like pepperoni, sausage and supreme, to more creative slices like buffalo chicken or chicken bacon ranch.

Pick your poison and then they’ll heat your slices up in their oven while you wait.

SALUD CERVERCERIA

Location: 3306 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Hours: Monday through Thursday 11 AM to 10 PM, Friday & Saturday 8 AM to 12 AM, Sunday 8 AM to 9 PM

Type of pizza: Wood fired and Detroit style

Must-orders: Liberation, Latin Lingo

Salud Cerveceria is where Charlotte’s craft beer scene and its pizza scene happily collide. Located in NoDa, Salud pairs creative, flavor-forward pizzas with an impressive lineup of house-brewed beers and guest taps, making it a go-to for anyone who wants something a little different than a standard pie night.

The pizzas here are playful and bold, often pulling inspiration from Latin flavors and global influences you don’t typically see on a pizza menu. It’s pizza that thinks outside the box, paired with excellent beer. Perfect for when you want something fun, unexpected, and very shareable.

STAGIONI

Location: 715 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207

Hours: Monday 5 PM to 9 PM, Tuesday through Saturday 5pm to 10pm

Type of pizza: Italian

Must-orders: seasonal pizzas and other Italian fare

Stagioni brings a more elevated, old-world Italian feel to Charlotte’s pizza scene, without losing that warm, inviting neighborhood energy. Known for its seasonal approach to Italian cooking, Stagioni’s pizza fits right in — thoughtfully crafted, beautifully balanced, and meant to be shared.

Stagioni’s pizza is pretty good but one of the highlights is the way they serve their pizza.

Forget a knife or a pizza wheel. When the pizza is delivered to your table at Stagioni, it comes with a pair of pizza scissors so you can cut the perfect slice.

And I’m very into pizza scissors.

Head to Stagioni for a romantic date night, tuck into some good, elevated Italian comfort food, and make sure you order a pizza just so you can cut it with scissors.

Pro tip: score a seat at the pizza counter if you can to watch the kitchen in action.

ZAMBIE’S

Location: 3204 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Hours: Sunday through Wednesday 11 AM to 12 AM, Thursday 11 AM to 1 AM, Friday & Saturday 11 AM to 3 AM

Type of pizza: by the slice

Must-orders: specialty pizzas by the slice

Zambies is home to some of the best slices in Charlotte. Their motto, “whether you’re strolling through the strip or stumbling home from one of the bars, we’ll be open for you,” is exactly what you want from a late night pizza joint.

Nostalgia and pizza tied closely to childhood memories, paired with a lifelong love of branding, design, and creation, became the foundation for ZÄMBIES.

ZEPPEDIE’S

Location: 4516 Nations Crossing Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217

Hours: Monday through Wednesday 10:30 AM to 9 PM, Thursday through Saturday 10:30 AM to 11 PM, Sunday

Type of Pizza: New York style

Must-orders: Big Gabagool, Verde, Calzones

Zeppedie’s is a revitalized Charlotte classic; the nostalgic, New York style joint just reopened after decades and is making thin crust New York style pies with locally milled flour. Its casual, approachable and the slices are totally foldable, just how New York style pizza should be.